Festoons of Fringe: How to turn Fun Fur and Eyelash Yarn into Durable Christmas Garland

The problem of what to make with Fun Fur or Eyelash Yarn

Novelty yarn can be a challenge to use, not only because it can be awkward to crochet or knit with, but because its oddness makes it unsuitable for making elegant accessories or practical items for the home. When “eyelash yarn” and “fun fur” polyester (aka acrylic) yarns were popular in the early 2000’s, I made a tubular scarf, but didn’t end up wearing it much. This kind of glossy yarn is still available for purchase in saturated colors at craft stores. So, what do we do with leftover or bargain bin fringed yarn? Having made myself a knitting fork, also known as a lucet, earlier this year, the perfect Christmas-season application for this unique yarn occurred to me: garland.

What is a lucet? See my previous post regarding their form and use.

Garland: Underappreciated or merely underwhelming?

Decorating a pine tree is a quintessential December activity for most Americans, one based on generations of blended customs. Whether fresh cut or synthetic, a Christmas tree is usually festooned with four distinct elements: electric lights, hanging ornaments, a topper, and swags of garland. In my opinion, the garland is the most underappreciated of our tree decorations. Many traditional forms of garland exist. There is, of course, the kind with which we might deck the halls, banisters, fence posts and front porches, but that kind is made of the same material as the tree itself. For our Christmas trees, my imagination conjures up strings of popped popcorn, beads, paper chains, and glittering cascades of tinsel.

I find myself somewhat underwhelmed by the garland options currently available in stores. Even the fancier stuff seems overpriced, especially considering it is often of mediocre quality. Naturally, I considered making my own, but the prospect can be daunting on account of the yardage required for the final product to produce those lovely swags characteristic to garlands everywhere. Thus, the best homemade celebratory swags should be quick to assemble and made of easily obtained, inexpensive materials.

Making Garland with a Lucet Knitting Fork

There are many ways to turn a single strand of yarn into fabric or cord, but for this particular project the lucet made the ideal tool. (If you do not have a lucet, you can learn how to make the two-pronged knitting fork from common household materials by following my previous tutorial.) It is not difficult to crochet a long chain with “fun fur” yarn using a wide hook, but I find that the resulting cord is too thin and flimsy. The lucet produces a square cord with more body and allows the fringe of the yarn to fan out in an appealing way.

I knew I had some of this distinctive fringe-style yarn in my craft bins. What I had on hand was a now-discontinued Champagne colored “Romance” yarn made by Lion Brand. I also grabbed some of Lion Brand’s “Fun Fur” on sale from my local craft supply store, once I had this project in mind. Both yarns worked well for this project, with the “Romance” yarn producing a slightly thicker result. Any “eyelash” style yarn should do just fine, though I recommend ones with a glossy or metallic rather than a matte look for this particular project.

Materials & Equipment

• Fringe-type yarn: “Fun Fur,” “Eyelash Yarn,” or other similar novelty yarn
• Lucet knitting tool
• Scissors

Instructions

• Thread the end of your yarn through the hole of your lucet.
• Wind the working end of yarn around the tines of your lucet in a figure-eight pattern. This creates one loop on each tine.
• Lay the working yarn across the upper part of the tine you first looped your figure eight onto.
• Gently pull the lower loop of that same tine over and off of the fork, creating a new loop as the working yarn remains behind.
• Now you have one loop on each tine again. Pull the working yarn away from the lucet to draw out roughly half of the looseness of the yarn.
• Flip the lucet over (180 degrees.) This motion should place your working yarn across the upper part of the other tine.
• Pull the lower loop gently out and over the upper yarn. Pull to tighten approximately half of looseness.
• Flip the lucet.
• Continue until you run out of yarn.

Helpful Tips

Keep a grip on your lucet.

Try to keep the handle of the lucet stationary in your hand and flip opposite ways each time. This prevents the finished cord from becoming excessively twisted. You may have to adjust your technique slightly to maintain the grip this way. If you must flip in the same direction each time, it won’t harm your results, but you will have to stop frequently to untwist.

Stay loose.

To achieve the best effect, do not over-tighten your loops. Each time you pull a loop out and over, that will use up the “half slack” you left behind in the previous pull-over. The resulting cord should be spongy, and not too stiff or loose.

Try using standard yarn.

What if you don’t have eyelash yarn on hand? A medium weight yarn in a bright color from your stash can work for this project as well. You won’t get the feathering affect, but the loose rope you make can be just as lovely. Also, if your having trouble achieving a consistent cord with the “fun fur,” regular yarn is also great to use for practice.

The Finished Garland

My 1.75 oz skein (55 yd) of “Fun Fur” yarn produced 9 yards of finished garland suitable for trimming a Christmas tree. My “Romance” style yarn remnant (unknown yardage) produced a slightly shaggier garland of about 4.5 yards. I also found that the lucet garland makes an attractive decoration for a stair rail or indoor column.

Unhurried Holiday Decor: A Commentary

As Linus reminds us in A Charlie Brown Christmas, the simple pleasures and deeper meaning of the Christmas season have long been at losing ground to froth and excess. It is a time of year when we should indeed find some joy in superficial trappings: in familiar tunes, family recipes, and adding sparkling decorations to our homes. Temporary decorations make birthday parties, even two thousand year old ones, draw us out of the mundane. However, it does not take as large of a quantity of decorations as we think to make a room feel festive, and thoughtful, homemade decorations can often far outshine the mass-produced stuff.

Perhaps we should try to resist the pressure, whether external or from within, for our homes to reflect the movie sets and magazine spreads. If you find exuberant pleasure in mimicking the vast displays of baubles and swags, go for it. Who am I to judge? But, in my opinion, those purely store-bought masterpieces lack a bit of heart. Give me the imperfect salt dough ornaments made by tiny toddler hands, the paper chains, and the slightly lopsided tree. Whether your home is catalog-ready or of the more eclectic variety, garland made from cast-off novelty yarn fits right in.

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